Six Years Before
by KTRose12
Summary: Six years before the clue hunt. Amy and Dan spend some "quality time" with their cousins, the Kabras. Mischief and hilarity ensues as the cousins come together to fight a common enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the 39 Clues or cookies. ((Sadly–I love cookies! Almost as much as I love the 39 Clues!))  
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**Six Years Before  
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>"Nonononononono!" Dan ran around Grace's sitting room, throwing a five-year-old fit.<p>

As he ran around the couch, Grace caught him and swung him onto her lap. She tickled him, making him laugh, and then said, "Yes, Danny. I need you to be on your best behavior when your cousins arrive."

She looked over at her granddaughter, who was sitting quietly in her chair. "You too, my dear."

Amy blinked at Grace, her green eyes dull. "Yes, Grace."

"NONONONONONONONO!" Dan slipped off of Grace's lap and began running around the room again.

Grace rubbed her eyes. Amy watched her grandmother anxiously. Grace had been acting very tired these days. Amy didn't want to tire her any more.

She slipped off of her chair and intercepted her brother. She lifted him by the arms and said, "Come on, Danny. I'll get you a cookie before they come."

"Cookie!" Dan said joyfully, his tantrum forgotten. He followed his sister to the kitchen.

Grace sighed, then looked up as she felt a presence at her shoulder. Her brother was standing there.

Fiske made a face. "Did you really have to invite the Kabras over?" he asked his sister.

Grace smiled. "I ask them over every year."

Fiske leaned his arms against the couch back. "When the rest of the family comes, too. Why just the two children?"

"I like children."

Fiske raised an eyebrow. He knew his sister better than that.

Grace chuckled. "Okay, you have me." She grew more solemn. "There have been rumors that the Lucian branch have discovered a lead that they shouldn't have discovered. I'm hoping..."

"You're going to interrogate two children?"

"The children of Vikram and Isabel Kabra, Fiske. And I'm not going to interrogate them. Just...perhaps something might accidentally slip from them that we could find useful."

"Vikram actually agreed for them to come?"

Grace waved her hand. "Vikram hardly ever remembers he _has_ children half the time." Grace gave her brother a wry smile. "Apparently, Natalie was caught playing with her mother's dart gun a few days ago, and Ian tried to take one of their limosines for a joyride. I spoke to Isabel, and she seemed quite relieved to get those two off her hands for a weekend."

Fiske smirked. "Who wouldn't, with those two devils?"

"Well, I'm glad that Amy and Dan will have some children their own age to play with."

"They have plenty of friends!"

"Perhaps," Grace said, listening to the sound of Dan's chatter from the kitchen. "Dan, at least. I'm afraid Amy may be a bit withdrawn for her age, poor dear..."

Fiske snorted. "I was that withdrawn at her age."

Grace shot him a look. "Your point being...?"

Fiske sighed.

Grace took her brother's hand. "Am I doing right?" she asked. "Won't it be good for Amy and Dan to spend more time with their cousins?"

"So Natalie can teach Dan how to fire a dart gun?"

Grace waved him away. "Oh, you're impossible."

Fiske grinned. "And always will be." His head turned slightly as the childrens' voices grew louder. "Oops, gotta go."

Grace grabbed his hand. "Won't you stay?" she pleaded. "Let them meet you. I know you'll love them."

"I do love them," Fiske said, squeezing his sister's hand. "That's the problem. I'm leaving now, Grace. If I get too attatched, I won't be able to leave. You know that."

Grace sighed. "You should visit more often."

"I do what I can."

Grace smiled wanly. "Be safe."

Fiske kissed her on the cheek. "No promises," he said with a grin. And then he was gone.

Amy and Dan re-entered the sitting room. "Cookie!" Dan announced triumphantly, waving a chocolate chip cookie in the air, a huge bite already taken out of it.

Grace scooped him up and sat him in her lap.

"Grace," Amy said, seating herself next to her grandmother and brother, "were you talking to someone? I heard voices."

Grace put an arm around her granddaughter. "When you get to be my age, sweetheart," she said, "you often talk to yourself to pass the time when you're lonely."

"I do that sometimes, too," Amy said, her face serious.

Grace squeezed Amy tighter, then said, "All right, you two. Go upstairs and get washed up. Your cousins should be here any minute."

Dan jumped off of her lap, spraying cookie crumbs everywhere.

"Ew!" Amy exclaimed. "Dan!"

Dan laughed like a little maniac and ran off, Amy right at his heels. She almost tripped over Saladin, who had crept into the room to investigate the noise. The Egyptian Mau hissed and dove under the couch.

Grace laughed as the two children disappeared from the room. She stopped laughing as she heard the sound of a car pulling in front of the mansion.

Grace touched her jade necklace, which hung around her neck. Then she reached down under the couch and scooped Saladin up into her arms. The cat was shaking, and Grace felt like she should be too. She shook the thought off, however.

How bad could two more children be?

* * *

><p>Grace opened the front door. The first thing she saw was a pile of baggage. The baggage spoke, "Hello there...where can I put these?"<p>

"Oh!" Grace opened the door wider. "Right in here."

The pile of baggage moved through the door and dropped into a pile in the front hall. A man wearing a chauffeur's uniform straightened and said, "Thank you, madam. I was hired to drive two children from the airport, but no one warned me how much luggage there would be."

Grace turned to the doorway, which stood empty. "Um...where _are_ the children?"

The driver looked at the doorway, then scratched his head under his hat. "Now _that's_ funny..." He went out the door and down the front steps to the car parked outside.

A few moments later, he opened the back door of the car.

"You were supposed to open the door for me _ages_ ago!" complained a high-pitched voice. "Don't you know that you're supposed to open the door for a lady?"

"Yes, miss," said the chauffeur, doffing his cap as a small girl with long, dark hair climbed out of the backseat. She was wearing a dark red, velvet dress, and on her feet she was wearing shiny, patent leather dress shoes. Her hair was held back with a thin headband with a red bow on one side, which would have completed a perfect picture if the girl didn't have a scowl etched onto her face.

A boy climbed out of the car behind her. "Don't expect a tip for this horrible service," he said, glaring at the driver. The boy was wearing a white dress shirt and a dark jacket. His pants looked freshly pressed, and he was wearing custom-made dress shoes. His amber eyes flashed dangerously as he said to the poor chauffeur, "My parents shall be hearing about this."

The driver probably would've been more afraid if the boy's height didn't only just reach the man's ribcage. Nonetheless, he said, "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I'll be going now."

The chauffeur jumped into the driver's seat, and the car sped away down the road, throwing dust and pebbles as it went.

The girl let out an ear-piercing shriek. "My dress!" she wailed. "It's _ruined_!" She began to sob.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Come now, Natalie," he said. "You can change your dress inside." He led his sister to the front door, where Grace was waiting, her mouth slightly opened.

The boy tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, don't just stand there gawking!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Grace blinked. "Oh, of course!" she said. "Ian, Natalie...so nice to see you again!"

"I'm sure," Ian said icily, his hand on his sister's arm, who's sobs had subsided. "Now, if you'll just tell us where our rooms are? My sister needs to change clothing."

Grace bent down so she was eye-level with the sniffling Natalie. "Natalie, you look so pretty! Your dress is beautiful!"

Natalie glared at her. "It's dirty," she said. "I want to change."

Grace sighed and straightened. "Okay," she said, "right this way."

"Oh," Ian said, "you'll want to call the help to carry our bags."

Grace's eyes twinkled. "I'm afraid I'm a bit low on help these days," she said. "You'll have to carry some of your own bags. As for the others..." Grace stuck two fingers into her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Ian and Natalie covered their ears and made strangled faces.

Footsteps came pounding down the stairs. Amy came into view first, holding onto the railing and taking the steps one at a time. Dan was right behind her, jumping down every other step.

Amy stopped short as she caught sight of the Kabras. Dan didn't see his sister stop, and hopped down the next step, crashing into her. The two siblings tumbled down the stairs, landing at the feet of the Kabras.

Ian gave Grace an incredulous look. "This is your help?" he asked.

Grace picked up one bag in each hand from the pile of luggage. "It's all the help I need," she called over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs.

The Cahills and the Kabras eyed each other warily.

"Well?" Ian finally said. "Aren't you going to carry our luggage?"

"You too," Dan said.

Natalie glared at him. "We don't carry our own luggage," she said. "We're the guests. You have to carry it for us."

"Y-you can h-help," Amy stammered.

"W-what if we don't want to?" Ian asked, his voice far too mocking for an eight-year-old.

Dan crossed his arms, standing in front of his sister. "What if _we_ don't want to?"

"Ian!" Natalie wailed. "I need to change my dress! _Make_ them take our bags, Ian!"

Ian sighed. "Fine. How much do you want?" He pulled a leather wallet out of his pocket.

Dan looked confused. "What?"

Ian sighed impatiently. "_Money_."

Dan thought for a moment. "Um...a hundred zillion gabillion dollars!"

Ian gaped at him. "I'm not _that_ rich! My allowance is only three-hundred pounds a week!"

Dan tugged on his sister's sleeve. "Amy," he whispered, "what's a 'llowance?"

Amy shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered back.

Natalie started to cry again. "Ian, I want to go home! I don't like being with peasants!"

Dan's pudgy face grew stormy. "What did you call me?"

"Peasant," Natalie sniffled.

Dan didn't really know what that meant, but it didn't sound very nice to him. He reached out and yanked on Natalie's hair.

Natalie screeched, "AIIIIIIII!"

"Hey!" Ian reached over and pulled Dan off of Natalie. He lifted him into the air easily, despite his skinny eight-year-old arms.

"Let g-go of my b-brother!" Amy ran over and delivered a swift kick to Ian's shin. Ian howled in pain and dropped Dan, who tackled the older boy.

Natalie continued shrieking. "AIIIIIIII!" Ian and Dan rolled around on the floor, Amy sending kicks flying when she found the chance.

"Ow! That was me!" Dan yelped.

"Sorry!" Amy tried to kick Ian again, but he grabbed her ankle and yanked. Amy fell over into Natalie, who's screams increased as the two girls toppled over.

Grace appeared above the four. "What is going on here?" she yelled.

The kids froze; Dan's hand twisting Ian's arm, Ian's fingers pulling Amy's hair, Amy's foot in Natalie's face, and Natalie's fingernails ready to scratch Dan's eyes out.

They all stared up guiltily at Grace.

"Daniel started it!"

"Natalie started it!"

"Ian started it!"

"Amy started it!"

Dan and Natalie began yelling at each other. Ian joined in, defending his sister. Amy pulled her foot out of Natalie's face and sat up. She watched her grandmother as Grace lifted two fingers to her mouth and let out another ear-piercing whistle.

"Enough!" Grace yelled. Dan and and Kabras immediately shut up.

"I don't care who started it!" she continued. "I'm finishing it, right now. Dan and Amy, go to the sitting room. Ian, Natalie, take the rest of your baggage and I'll show you your rooms."

To everyone's surprise (including the Kabras themselves), Ian and Natalie picked up their remaining bags and followed Grace up the stairs. Amy and Dan trudged to the sitting room.

**Just a little thing I started writing when I was bored. I'll try to continue it.**

**Review! Review! Review! I love reviews! Also, any suggestions of what you want to happen to the Cahills and the Kabras (ABSOLUTELY _NO_ Amian or Natan!)**

**-KT**


	2. Chapter 2

"War," Dan whispered to his sister. The two of them were seated on the couch in the sitting room.

Amy, eyes wide, nodded and swallowed. She would just let her demonic five-year-old brother take charge.

Grace came into the room. Amy and Dan weren't worried about getting a scolding—Grace wasn't one to scold. She just reminded then that the Kabras were their guests, and they had to make them happy, and then she sent them to their rooms.

Dan and Amy congregated in Dan's room. Amy sat on his outer space bedspread as Dan paced, his small hands clasped behind his back, his face serious.

"Dan..." Amy said slowly, "...what are you thinking?"

Dan stopped pacing for a moment. "I know!" he suddenly exclaimed. He dove into his closet.

Amy winced as Dan crashed around in his closet for a minute. He emerged, holding a small cardboard box in both hands.

"What's that?"

Dan opened the lid. Amy peeked in. She let out a squeak and jumped back. "Ew! Bugs!"

Dan grinned, showing his missing tooth. "I collected them!"

"How long have those been in there?" Amy asked, backing away from the box.

Dan thought for a moment. "Last weekend."

"You've kept those bugs in there for a week?" Amy immediately felt a little sorry for the bugs.

Dan shrugged. "They're okay." He left the room with the box.

Amy sat back down on the bed and waited.

She heard a knock, and then heard Dan's voice announcing, "Happy Birthday!"

His footsteps pounded down the hall as Natalie, in a confused voice, said, "What? It's not my birthday..."

Dan re-entered his room as a piercing shriek came from down the hall.

Amy's mouth made a perfect "O".

"You gave her the bugs?" she asked.

Dan fell over giggling.

"Natalie?" came Ian's voice from the hall. "Natalie, what happened?"

"Uh-oh," Dan murmured, sitting up.

Amy jumped off his bed. "I'm going to my room." She slipped out the door.

Dan hid in the closet.

A minute later, there was a banging on his door. "Daniel!" Ian yelled.

"No one's home!" Dan yelled from the closet.

Ian opened the door. "Where are you?"

"No one's home!"

Ian went to the closet and pulled it open. Dan was sitting on the floor, a jacket over his head.

"No one's home," came his muffled voice from under the jacket.

Ian pulled the jacket off and glared down at the younger boy.

Dan grinned up at him sheepishly. "Oh, hi. How are you?"

"Did you give bugs to my sister?"

"Maaaaaaybe."

"Did you?"

"I thought it was her birthday."

"Who gives _bugs_ as a present?"

"Me."

Dan crawled out of the closet through Ian's legs.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Dan bolted out the door. "The British are coming! The British are coming!" he yelled as Ian chased him down the hall.

As they ran past Amy's room, Ian tripped, falling face-first on the floor. He looked up in time to see Amy's door shut with a quiet _snick_, then looked down to see what he had tripped on.

It was _Moby Dick_ (the book, not the whale).

Ian watched Dan disappear down the hall, then turned to the closed door. "Oh, look, a book," he said loudly, amused by his cleverness to rhyme unintentionally. "I wonder who it belongs to."

There was silence.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to rip it up..."

"Nooooooo!" Amy came hurtling out the door, lunging for the book.

Although they were the same age, Ian stood a good head taller than Amy. He held the book over his head. "Ha! Try to get it!"

Amy jumped for the book, but it was out of her reach. "Give...it..._back_!"

Ian tutted her. "You shouldn't leave books lying around, you know," he said. "Someone could trip over them."

"It's not m-my fault you're c-clumsy."

She tried again, in vain, to jump for the book. Ian held it higher and laughed.

Suddenly, there was a loud, "HI-YAH!" Dan came hurtling through space, a black blur as he smashed into Ian.

The older boy toppled over, and _Moby Dick_ landed on the floor. Amy quickly scooped up the book and hugged it to her chest.

Dan was dressed in his ninja robes, which were a bit too large on him. Grace had bought the robes for him at a garage sale, and when he was dressed in them—well, the safest thing to do was to run in the opposite direction.

Dan was kneeling on Ian's chest, pulling his arm behind his head.

"Get OFF!"

"Say uncle!" Dan yelled.

"Why on Earth would I say that?"

Dan paused to think about that for a moment. His hesitation was all the older boy needed. Ian yanked his arm away and pushed Dan off.

Dan tumbled to the floor. Ian stood up, but before he could do anything, Dan had latched onto his leg.

"Get OFF!" Ian yelled for the second time, trying to shake Dan off.

Dan kept an iron grip on Ian's leg, and as Ian tried to kick him off, the younger boy looked like he was riding a bucking horse.

Just as Ian was about to kick Dan against a wall, Natalie emerged from the bathroom, her hair damp from the shower. She was holding a brush in one hand. "I had to shampoo my hair FIVE TIMES," she announced to no one in particular. "That's TWO TIMES more than usual!"

Then she caught sight of Dan. "YOU!" she screeched. "You gave me those bugs!" She started hitting him with her brush.

"OW! STOPPIT!" Dan tried to grab the brush, letting go of Ian's leg.

"Natalie!" Amy called, trying to distract the girl from beating Dan up TOO badly, "I think there's another bug in your hair!"

Natalie screeched and dropped the brush, shaking her head wildly. "WHERE? WHERE?" Through her crazy head-shaking, she acccidentally slammed into a wall.

"Ooo!" Dan made a face. "That's gotta hurt."

Natalie dropped to the floor. "Owww..." she moaned, clutching her head.

Suddenly, Grace was standing over them. "What HAPPENED?"

The kids began to talk over each other.

"Daniel had these bugs..."

"...chasing me all over..."

"...wouldn't give it back..."

"...wash my hair FIVE times..."

"Enough!" The four kids fell silent.

Grace sighed. "It's six o'clock. Dinner is at seven. Do you think you four can behave for an hour until then?"

Ian turned and walked back into his room, slamming the door behind him. Natalie did the same, first picking her hairbrush up off the floor.

Dan looked down at the floor. Amy looked up at the ceiling. "Yes," they sighed together.

Grace smiled at her grandchildren. Then she went back down the hall.

Amy was ashamed. She didn't like getting in trouble. Dan, on the other hand, had just started kindergarden, and he was discovering new forms of punishment every day.

He glared at Ian's closed door, as if his eyes could bore holes through the woodwork like lasers. "I'm going to call them a bad word," he muttered.

Amy looked at her brother, doubting he knew any bad words. SHE didn't even know any bad words. "What?"

Dan scrunched up his face. "_Jerks_!" he hissed at the Kabras doors. "Jerks! Jerks! Jerks!"

Amy patted her brother's shoulder awkwardly. "Er...good job, Dan." She disappeared into her room.

Dan trudged back to his room and threw himself onto his bed, sulking. Suddenly, his head popped up again. What had Grace said? _Dinner is at seven_.

Dan's eyes lit up. He had one hour to...well, he didn't know exactly what he was going to do yet.

But it was going to be good.

**If you would be afraid to be the Kabras at dinner with Dan, REVIEW! If you wouldn't be scared, REVIEW! If you really don't care and you're just reading this just because you're bored, STILL REVIEW! I really want to continue this, and, as always, I'm open to ideas.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-KT**


	3. Chapter 3

Amy was the first to arrive in the dining room an hour later. Normally, she, Grace, and Dan ate meals in the kitchen, but Grace wanted dinner to be fancy for their guests.

Amy set her book down on the tabletop, then climbed up on a chair with its back to the doorway. She slipped a little on the silky chair cushion, then opened her book in her lap and began to read.

"What are you reading?" came a voice from behind Amy, startling her so much she dropped the book.

Ian had silently entered the room. He picked up the book from the floor as Amy sat, frozen.

"Jane Austen? She's a British writer, isn't she?" Ian looked up at Amy.

"I-I g-guess."

Seeming to have approved of her literary choice, Ian handed the book back to her and walked around the table, sitting across from her. From there, he could see the doorway, which his parents had always taught him was the smart thing to do.

On the first day of third grade at his private school in London, the teacher tried to put Ian in a seat facing away from the door. Ian had blatantly refused, and when the teacher continued insisting he sit there, he threatened to sue and demanded a lawyer.

In the end, the teacher had let Ian choose his seat.

Ian's mum and dad always taught him to never let anyone boss him around. Which was why he couldn't allow these two...these two _miscreants_ to command him.

Amy kept her eyes to her book, clearly aware of the awkward silence in the dining room. She was relieved when Grace finally walked in and said, "Oh, good, you two are here! Where are Dan and Natalie?" Amy and Ian looked at her blankly.

Grace sighed. "Dan! Natalie!" she called out the doorway. "Dinner!"

Natalie was the first to appear, her hair still damp. "I had to take another shower," she announced, climbing into the seat next to Ian. "I was contaminated." She seemed proud of herself for knowing such a big word, but her look of pride was exchanged with a look of disgust as Dan walked in, still garbed in his ninja robes.

Grace didn't say anything about the robes—she never did. Ian, on the other hand, scoffed at Dan and said, "Why are you still wearing those filthy rags?"

Dan looked down at himself. He thought he looked fine. "What rags?"

Ian rolled his eyes. Dan scrambled up onto the chair next to Amy, and Grace went through the ajoining doors to the kitchen to get dinner.

There was silence in the room. Amy kept her eyes on her book, but she could almost feel the tension in the air as the Kabras glared at her and Dan, their gazes snapping like electricity.

Dan just smiled pleasently, making Ian uneasy.

Grace re-entered the room, carrying a large plate of tacos.

"Yay!" Dan exclaimed. "Tacos!"

Amy smiled.

Ian and Natalie looked down at the platter in disgust. "What...is that?" Ian asked.

Grace took her seat and spread her napkin onto her lap. "Tacos. You should try one, Ian. They're delicious."

Dan grabbed a taco and crammed the whole thing into his mouth. Amy took a taco and began taking it apart, eating the tomatoes first, then the lettuce, then the meat.

Natalie looked like she was about to be sick. "I-I...excuse me." She bolted from the table, holding her stomach.

Ian looked a little green. "What's in this?" he asked, poking at his taco with his pinkie finger.

Dan looked up, his face covered in cheese. "Yummy stuff!" he declared, spraying bits of food across the table.

Amy instinctivly ducked, but Ian, who was sitting across the table from Dan, got a piece of lettuce on his shirt.

Ian flicked the lettuce off with a look of disgust. Just then, the phone rang.

"Excuse me, kids," Grace said, pushing back from the table and wiping her mouth with a napkin. She left the room.

Suddenly, there was a scream from upstairs. Ian jumped up from his chair, his eyes shooting daggers at Dan, and dashed out of the room.

"What did you do now?" Amy whispered to her brother.

Dan laughed evilly, rubbing his hands together. "Bwa-ha-ha!" He waved his hands in the air like a mad scientist, wishing that it was thundering and lightning to complete the effect. "Bwa-ha-ha! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Then he fell off his chair.

"Ow," he whined.

Amy sighed, slipping off her seat. She pulled her brother to his feet. "Come on, Danny," she said. "Let's go check it out."

The siblings crept up the stairs and down the hall to the bathroom. The door was open a crack, and the Cahills peeked in.

Natalie was sitting in the bathroom floor, sobbing. Ian was looking down at her.

"_What_ happened?" Ian asked her.  
>Natalie sniffed and looked up. "The sink," she wailed, bursting into tears again.<p>

Ian furrowed his brow, then turned to the sink. He pulled over the small stepstool sitting by the toilet and climbed up on it. He examined the sink.

"Nothing wrong with it," he announced.

"Turn it on!"

Amy looked at her brother, who looked like he had just given himself a wedgie.

"Go go go go go," he whispered.

Ian turned on the sink and, almost reflexively, stuck his hands under the water.

"I still don't see what's...AHHHHHHH!"

Ian pulled his hands away from the water and stared at them in horror.

His hands were blue.

Outside of the bathroom, Dan fell over, laughing hysterically.

"Yes!" he giggled. "Yay! Ha ha!"

Amy giggled, too. Now she could see that Natalie's hands were also bright blue. They looked pretty funny.

The bathroom door slowly swung open. Ian glared down at the two Cahills sitting/rolling around laughing hysterically on the ground.

He pointed at Dan. "You..." he said, trying to sound ominous. But it is very difficult to look threatening when the finger that you are pointing with is the same shade as a New Jersey blueberry.

Dan started cracking up again. "Ian's a smurf!" he laughed. "Ian's a smurf!"

"Ahhhhh!" Ian yelled, lunging at Dan.

"Ahhhhh!" Dan screamed, scrambling away.

"Ahhhhh!" Amy shrieked, diving out of Ian's way.

"Ahhhhh!" Natalie wailed, still staring at her blue hands.

Dan raced down the hall as fast as his four-year-old legs could take him. "The smurfs are coming! The smurfs are coming!" he hollered, skidding around a corner.

Ian raced after him, and their yells echoed down the hall as they ran farther away through the mansion.

Amy had dived for cover behind a corner when Ian went after Dan. She cautiously crept out and crawled across the floor, looking down the hall. She could hear Dan and Ian yelling across the mansion, and was surprised that Grace hadn't showed up yet.

Suddenly, she became aware of the soft sobbing coming from the bathroom. Amy peeked through the door.

Natalie was staring at her hands, tears running down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, and for some reason, she was missing a shoe.

"Why are you crying?" Amy asked.

Natalie looked up. "My hands are _blue_!" she sniffed.

Amy got up off of her knees and walked into the bathroom, slowly pushing the door open. "It's not that bad," she said.

"Yes, it is!" Natalie cried. "I want to have beautiful hands like my mummy, and mummy's hands aren't blue!"

Amy paused for a moment, then went to the sink. She climbed up onto the step stool and turned on the sink.

The water didn't look blue. Amy stuck her pointer finger under the water, and when she pulled it out, it was a deep shade of cobalt.

Amy jumped off of the stool and went to the bathtub. She reached in and turned on the faucet. Water streamed into the bath, and Amy stuck her finger under the stream. The blue disappeared.

She turned to the younger girl. "Look," she said, holding up her finger, "the blue washes away." Amy went over to Natalie and pulled her over to the bathtub. "See?" She held Natalie's wrists and out her hands under the stream of water. The blue quickly washed away, until her hands returned to their usual coffee-color shade.

Natalie stared at her hands, which were dripping wet. Amy picked up a towel and started drying Natalie's hands.

The younger girl yanked the towel away. "I can do it myself!" she said, wiping her hands.

Amy looked injured. "Okay," she said softly, backing away. She turned off the bathtub faucet, then left the bathroom.

Natalie dried her hands and left the towel on the floor for the servants to pick up. Then she went to find Ian.

* * *

><p><strong>The smurfs are coming! The smurfs are coming! Even though I'm writing this, I feel like Dan is the one actually saying it. Weird, huh?<strong>

**Please don't ask me how Dan was able to turn the water blue. That is something that Dan and only Dan will ever know. Ask him.**

**Responding to Reviews:**

**-Max-ride-fax-fan: Who ever said that Natalie Kabra is sane? Hello? She carries around _dart gun_.**

**-Stone Moss ((And everyone else who commented on the characters' IC-ness)): YAY! I'm so happy! It's really hard to make them seem younger, especially because the Kabras, especially Ian, always seem so mature for their ages.** **It helps to just stop every few lines and just try to picture them as younger ((favorite images ever–Natalie slamming into the wall, Dan tackling Ian, Amy trying to jump for her book that Ian's holding over her head)).**

**-artistic-logic: I love making people laugh. Thank you so much for telling me that. As for your correction, I see what you mean, but I'm going to keep it as it is. Thanks for pointing it out, though.**

**-Randomness Is Cool: Love your username, by the way. I will go back and fix that right away. I feel really bad now. You're, like, the second or third person to recommend a food fight, and I didn't do it. Ah, well. I have plans, though. _Evil _plans. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! *falls off chair* Ow.**

** -Hazelforkezworth959: **

**1. In Vespers Rising, Olivia Cahill says that Madeline has in her, "A jot of Jane, a cut of Katherine, a touch of Thomas, and a lick of Luke." I like to think that all Madrigals have a little bit of every branch in them. Therefore, yes, Dan is acting very Lucian.**

**2. You will see.**

**3. You will see.**

**-TribalGirl: I feel favorited! YAY!**

**-PinkGoesWithEverything: Thank. You. So much.**

**Keep reviewing! I love you all!**

**-KT  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own The 39 Clues, Great Expectations, Jane Austen, or stuffed rabbits.**

* * *

><p>"Grace?" Dan asked as his grandmother tucked him into bed. "When are they gonna leave?"<p>

"They have names, Danny," Grace said kindly, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Okay," Dan said, "when are the Cobras leaving?"

"The Kabras."

"That's what I said."

Grace laughed softly. "They're leaving the day after tomorrow, Danny. But I do wish you'd learn to get along with them."

Dan scrunched up his nose. "But they're so...so..." He stuck out his tongue. "..._blech_," he spat, finishing his sentence.

"I'm sure if you'd just get to know them..."

Dan closed his eyes and pretended to snore; loudly.

Grace sighed. She knew there was no use trying to sway this one. She turned off the bedside lamp and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Amy was sitting up in bed, reading. She looked up as Grace entered the room.

"Time for sleep," Grace said, walking over to her granddaughter's bed.

Amy closed her book and set it on her night table.

"What are you reading now?" Grace asked her, sitting on the bed.

"Great Expectations," Amy said.

"I thought you were reading Jane Austen."

"I was," Amy said, "but I can't find it. I probably left it downstairs." She reached for the lamp.

"Hold on, Amy," Grace said.

Amy paused. "What?"

Grace sat down on the bed. "What do you think of Ian and Natalie?" she asked.

Amy bit her lip. "They're okay," she said evasively.

Grace raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"

"Mm-hm." That wasn't all, of course, but Amy didn't like talking badly about people, especially when they weren't present to defend themselves.

Grace knew this, and she stroked her granddaughter's head fondly. "Okay, sweetheart. Try to get some sleep."

"I will."

Grace got to her feet and switched off the lamp. She left the room and went into the hallway.

Grace debated on whether or not she should make sure Ian and Natalie were in bed. After struggling with herself for several minutes, the grandmother in her won out. She went across the hall to the guest rooms.

She peeked into Natalie's room first. The lights were off, and Natalie was lying under the covers, her dark hair spread across the pillow. The blankets rose and fell as she breathed evenly. Under one arm was a small stuffed rabbit, which she was clutching closely.

Grace smiled softly, then eased the door shut. She went next door to Ian's room.

She found Ian sitting on his bed, reading a book. Every several seconds he glanced at his hands, as if verifying that they were still their normal color.

Grace spoke from the doorway, "What are you reading?"

Ian gave a start, looking up quickly and tucking the book behind him. "None of your business," he said rudely. He was wearing blue silk pajamas, with the initials IK sewed onto the lapel pocket.

Grace had readied herself for that sort of response. She cocked her head a little and said, "Of course. My apologies."

Ian nodded, as if to say, _That's better_.

Grace continued, "It's time to go to sleep."

Ian looked at the clock. "But it's only 9:00," he said. "Mum and Dad let me stay up until 11:00, at the earliest."

"Really?" Grace asked, breaking the word into three syllables. "Does Natalie usually stay up that late, too?"

Ian was taken off guard. "Um...yes."

Grace smiled. "Well, your sister's sound asleep right now, so I think it would be good if you do the same. That jet lag's going to catch up to you if you don't get some rest."

Ian rolled his eyes. "_Fine_," he huffed, crawling into bed. He turned off his light.

Grace turned to leave. "Oh, Ian?" she said over her shoulder. "I'm sure Amy won't mind if you keep reading her Jane Austen book. Just make sure you get it back to her before you leave." She left the room, leaving a slack-jawed Ian behind her.

Grace went downstairs and poured herself a cup of herbal tea. She was just about to curl into a chair when the phone rang.

"Who could be calling at this hour?" she wondered aloud. Saladin, who was sitting on the couch across from her, gave a questioning, "_Mrrp?_"

Grace reached for the portable receiver by her chair and answered the phone.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it's so short. I felt like it should end here. But trust me, it's going to get a lot better. That phone call is <em>very <em>important.**

**Response to Reviews:**

**Stone Moss: 0_o**

**CloverThyne: I SAW THAT EPISODE! I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it! Weird...**

**Weaver of Lore: I always thought that Ian would be a little protective of his sister, especially because of certain events that occurred in Book 10. Of course, this was before Book 10, but I think Ian was always a little protective of his sister. That's just my opinion, of course. I think it's nice, too.**

**To everyone who reviewed: THANK YOU! The other day I showed my friend Divya all of your reviews, and she was like, "Whoa. These people love your stories." I was like, "YES! AND I LOVE THEM MORE FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS THEY GIVE ME!" Whenever someone says they were cracking up in the early morning, or that their mother had to yell at them to stop laughing, or that they fell off of their bed from laughing so hard, I get a warm fuzzy feeling that encourages me even more to write the next chapter. That's how much you people mean to me.**

**So get ready for an epic next chapter. Well, maybe not epic, but pretty close. I've got BIG PLANS! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-KT**


	5. Chapter 5

In the middle of the night, Natalie awoke in a cold sweat. Clutching her stuffed rabbit in her arms, she climbed out of bed and padded out the door and down one door to Ian's room.

Natalie cracked the door open a bit. "Ian?" she whispered. "Ian?"

Ian didn't respond.

Natalie tip-toed into the room. She stood by her older brother's bed. "Ian!" she whispered loudly.

Ian gave a low groan.

"Ian? Are you awake?"

"No," came the muffled answer. "Go to sleep, Natalie."

"Ian, wake up so I can tell you something."

"Is it important?"

"YES!"

Ian mumbled something under his breath and rolled over so he was facing his sister.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Natalie said, relieved.

Ian rubbed his eyes. "What's so important that you had to wake me up at 1:30 in the morning?"

"One-two-zero, not one-three-zero," Natalie whispered, pointing to the digital clock sitting on the night table. She couldn't tell time, but she knew that 1:20 was not the same as 1:30.

"Even better," Ian replied drily. "What's the important news?"

"I had a bad dream."

Ian groaned. "Brilliant," he said. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I think there's something under my bed."

"There is NOTHING under your bed!"

"I heard a noise coming from the closet."

Ian stared into Natalie's eyes. "Natalie, I want you to listen very closely. It was just a dream. There is nothing under your bed. There is nothing in your closet. The Headless Horseman isn't going to come and kill you."

"I forgot about him!" Natalie gasped. "Oh, no! Ian, what am I going to do?" She wrung her rabbit's long ears with her hands.

Ian looked at her with disgust. "You still sleep with that thing?" he asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if you talk to it."

"I DO NOT TALK TO MR. RABBIT!"

"Okay, okay, you don't talk to the rabbit..." Ian covered his eyes with his hand for a moment. "Just...go to bed, Natalie," he said tiredly. "It'll be morning soon."

"But don't you want to hear about my dream?"

Ian sighed, then lay back down. "Fine. What did you dream about?"

Natalie sat on the floor. "Well, I'm in my room—my room in London, of course, not the icky room that I'm sleeping in now—and I'm going through my purses. And suddenly, this clown bursts into the room! It has big, red lips and green all around its eyes. And its hair is a yucky blue color, and looks like it hasn't been styled...ever!" Natalie shuddered. "Anyway, the clown takes my purses and starts ripping them apart! All my bags, Ian! My Gucci, my Prada...oh, it was so scary, Ian...Ian?"

Natalie poked her brother with one finger. Her response was a loud snore from Ian.

"He fell asleep," Natalie said to her rabbit. "How rude." She stood up and padded back into the hall.

Natalie paused. There was a creak down the hall. Somewhere in the mansion, a tree scratched against a window. The wind blew through the attic, making a low moaning sound. Natalie suddenly remembered her nightmare, and the thing under her bed, and the Headless Horseman...

She let out a small whimper, hiding her face in her rabbit's fur.

"Natalie?"

The Headless Horseman knew her name! He was coming to get her! He was...

"Natalie, are you okay?"

...Amy Cahill?

Natalie looked up from her rabbit. "I'm _fine_," she said.

Amy stepped out of her room. She was wearing green flannel pajamas under a blue bathrobe. "What are y-y-you doing up?" she asked. That wasn't a stutter on the "you". It was a yawn.

Natalie looked at the floor. "I had a bad dream," she said quietly.

Amy nodded knowingly. "I get those a lot, too," she said.

Natalie looked up. "You do?" she asked.

Amy shrugged. "Yeah. All the time."

Natalie turned to look at her brother's door. "I tried to tell Ian, but he says that it's just dreams. They don't mean anything."

"But they can be scary, huh?"

Natalie nodded.

Amy gave a little smile, kneeling down so they were at eye-level. "That's a cute bunny you have," she said.

"I DON'T TALK TO HIM!"

Amy gave the younger girl a strange look. "Okay..."

Natalie backtracked. "I...it...his name is Mr. Rabbit."

"That's a nice name."

Natalie smiled a little bit.

Amy stood up. "Come on," she said. "You should get to bed."

Natalie nodded, and, to Amy's surprise, slipped her hand into Amy's. The two girls went into Natalie's room, and the younger girl climbed into bed.

Amy sat on the bed. "Can you go to sleep now?" she asked.

"I don't know..."

"Want to tell me about your nightmare?"

Natalie looked at her, wide-eyed. "Really? You want to hear it?"

"If it'll make you feel better."

"Okay!" So Natalie told Amy about the red-lipped, blue-haired, purse-destroying clown. When she finished, Amy said, "Wow. That IS scary."

Natalie nodded, a bit pleased that she had scared a big girl. "I think I can go to sleep now."

Amy stood up and started out of the room.

"Amy?"

Amy turned around again. Natalie was sitting up in bed. "Could you...I mean, if you would...can you check under my bed?"

Amy smiled and went back to the bed. She got on her hands and knees and looked under. "No monsters," she announced.

Natalie was indignant. "Of course not," she said. "Monsters don't exist! I was just, um, checking for rats."

Amy nodded knowingly. "Of course. Well, it's all clear."

Natalie felt relieved. If there was a monst...rat under the bed, it would've eaten Amy first. And she didn't look eaten, so it must've been safe.

"Goodnight, Natalie," Amy said, heading for the door again.

"Amy?" Amy turned around again.

"What are your nightmares about?"

"My nightmares? Well..."

_Smoke clouding the air.  
>Fire burning heat.<br>"Get the children out!"  
>"Daddy!"<br>"Go with Mommy, angel."  
>"No, Daddy! No!"<br>"Take care of your brother, Amy."  
>"Mommy! Mommy!" Dan crying in her arms.<br>Her house falling to ashes...and her parents..._

"Amy?"

Amy was pulled back to Earth. "Oh, um, they wouldn't interest you, Natalie. Your nightmares are much scarier."

Natalie nodded, as if this wasn't hard to imagine. Then she curled up in her blanket and closed her eyes.

Amy crept out of the room, back to her own room. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her head, wondering if her nightmares were normal for an eight-year-old.

* * *

><p>Dan woke up in the usual way—on the floor. He had just been through a dream where he was battling a thousand ninjas. It was a dream he had often, except that in this particular dream, whenever he choppedkicked one of the ninjas, they transformed into giant king cobras.

Needless to say, Dan did not win the fight.

He awoke in a cold sweat, and was relieved to see sunlight steaming through the window. He untangled himself from his covers and left the room, still in his pajamas.

As he left his room, Ian was just emerging from his. The older boy glared at Dan, then went into the bathroom and shut the door. Dan stuck his tongue out at the closed door, then went downstairs.

"Grace?" he called. "Grace?" He heard Grace's voice coming from the sitting room, and heading towards the sound of her voice.

"Grace, what's for breakf–" Dan skidded to a stop when he saw that Grace was not alone.

"Daniel!" barked the woman sitting on the couch across from Grace. "Why are you still in pajamas? Go put some clothes on!"

"Aunt Beatrice," Dan gasped, "what're you doing here?"

Dan and Amy's legal guardian sniffed. "The water pipes burst at my apartment," she said.

"Aunt Beatrice will be staying with us tonight!" Grace said cheerfully. "Isn't that great?" She was smiling, but her eyes were screaming the same expression that was on Dan's whole face:_ AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

Dan suddenly realized that Grace was waiting for a response. "Um...uh...ah...I'm gonna go put some clothes on!" He ran out of the room.

"DON'T RUN!" Aunt Beatrice yelled after him. Dan pretended not to hear and dashed up the stairs, almost knocking down Natalie.

"Hey!" Natalie exclaimed as Dan breezed past her. "What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost!"

"Worse!" Dan yelled over his shoulder. He disappeared into his room.

Natalie shrugged and smoothed out her velvet skirt. She made her way down the stairs and to the sitting room.

"When's breakfast?" she asked, entering the room. "I'm starved, and I–" She let out a gasp and stopped short, seeing Aunt Beatrice. Her eyes went over the old woman's red lips, green eyeshadow, and...blue hair.

Grace smiled at Natalie. "Natalie, this is—"

"EVIL CLOWN!" Natalie screeched, pointing at Aunt Beatrice. "KEEP AWAY FROM MY PURSES, EVIL CLOWN!"

Aunt Beatrice gave Natalie a strange look. "What on Earth...?" She stood up.

Natalie screamed and ran out of the room. She ran up the stairs, past Ian and Amy, who had emerged from their rooms at the sound of Natalie's screams.

"DANIEL! WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?" Ian yelled, seeing Natalie's terrified face.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" came Dan's voice from his room.

"Natalie, what happened?" Amy called after the screaming girl.

"I HAVE TO SAVE MY PURSES!" Natalie yelled. "THE EVIL CLOWN IS COMING TO GET THEM!"

Amy went into Natalie's room. Ian was right behind her. "Wait, the evil clown? From your dream?" Amy asked.

Natalie was digging through her suitcases, pulling out all of her purses. "Yes! Do you have someplace I can hide these?"

Ian looked confused. "Wait, what evil clown?"

Natalie looked up for a moment. "The one in my nightmare! Remember?"

Ian scratched the back of his head. "Uh...no."

Natalie rolled her eyes at him. "That's because you fell asleep, you twit." She grabbed all of her purses in her arms and turned to Amy. "Can I hide these in your room?"

Amy held up a hand. "Hold on. Let me get this straight. You SAW the evil clown? Here?"

"It's right downstairs!" Natalie said urgently. "It'll be here any minute!"

"That's no evil clown." Amy, Natalie, and Ian all turned to the door. Dan stood there in full ninja garb. "That's evil Aunt Beatrice."

Amy gasped. "Aunt Beatrice? _Here_? What?"

Dan nodded grimly. "She was talking to Grace. She's sleeping here tonight."

Natalie let out an ear-piercing scream. The three other kids clapped their hands over there ears.

"_Pipe down_, Natalie!" Ian exclaimed. "Do you want the evil clown to find you?"

Natalie quickly stopped screaming.

Ian turned to Amy. "I want to see this...evil clown."

"H-her name is Aunt B-Beatrice."

"No matter. Take me to her."

Amy was a bit wary herself to see her mean aunt, but she turned and started out of Natalie's room. Ian followed her, leaving Natalie and Dan alone in the room.

Natalie looked at Dan. "What are you wearing those black pajamas for?"

Dan was indignant. "They're not pajamas! They're my ninja clothes."

"They look like black pajamas."

Dan huffed. "You take that back, or I'll get Aunt...I mean, I'll get the evil clown to get you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Natalie gasped. "I take it back!" She threw herself over her purses. "You have to help me! She'll rip my purses to shreds if we don't do anything!"

Dan thought for a moment. On one hand, she was a Cobra, and a very annoying one at that. On the other hand, she hated Aunt Beatrice almost as much as he did, if not for the same reasons. She could be helpful in his plans to wreak havoc.

Dan finally nodded. "Okay. You've got a deal."

Natalie stuck out her hand. "Let's shake on it."

Dan worked up a glob of saliva and spat into his hand. Then he shook her hand.

Natalie shrieked, jerking her hand away. "What was that for?"

"What?"

"You shook my hand with spit in your hand!"

"I was sealing the agreement!"

Natalie looked at him with disgust. "Fine. I'm going to go wash my hand now."

"Okay. We meet after breakfast."

"Roger that," Natalie said.

Dan gave her a strange look. "Who's Roger?"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Amy and Ian walked down the stairs and entered the sitting room. Grace had left the room, and Aunt Beatrice was sitting on the couch. She looked up as Amy and Ian came in.<p>

"Amy, did you brush your hair this morning?" she asked. "It looks like a rat's nest."

Amy's hand went to her hair. "Um, y-yes Aunt Beatrice," she stammered faintly, "I b-brushed it."

"Humph. Do a better job next time. It looks hideous. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to stare, boy?" That last statement was snapped in Ian's direction, who was looking at her blue hair.

Ian pulled his eyes away from her hair and gave her a cold look. "Don't flatter yourself. I was looking at the lump of blue cotton candy that is affixed to your head."

Amy drew in a quick breath.

Aunt Beatrice glared at him. "You watch your tongue, boy," she said. "You need to learn to respect your elders."

"Oh, I thought rule just applied to people like my parents, not ancient blue-haired old ladies."

"Ian, no!" Amy whispered, watching Aunt Beatrice's face get redder and redder.

Ian ignored her. "I mean, honestly, blue hair? What on Earth were you _thinking_?"

"SHUT UP, BOY!" Aunt Beatrice bellowed, jumping to her feet. She started across the room, one hand raised like she was going to smack him.

Amy grabbed Ian's hand and yanked him out of the room. They ran up the stairs and into Ian's room.

"Are you crazy?" Amy exclaimed. "She would've hit you!"

"She was being mean to you about your hair. She deserved it."

Amy's face reddened. "Sh-she's always like th-that. I just ignore her."

Ian crossed his arms. "That's no excuse to be rude."

_You wouldn't know_, Amy thought. _You're rude all the time_. But it was nice of him to stand up for her, and she didn't say anything.

"Anyway," Ian continued, "her hair really is a horrible color. Someone had to tell her."

Amy couldn't help but smile.

* * *

><p>The four kids sat around the breakfast table, not speaking. Grace had gone upstairs to set Aunt Beatrice up in one of the many guest rooms.<p>

Dan speared a piece of bacon on his fork and stuck it into his mouth. "Wvhe gudna duw sumdin," he said, his words garbled by the strip of meat stuffed in his mouth.

"What?" Natalie glared at him. "Chew and swallow."

Dan chewed and swallowed. "We've gotta do something," he repeated.

"I can't believe you actually live with that hideous witch," Ian murmured. "I would never let anyone treat me like that."

"W-we don't l-live with her," Amy stammered. "She's just our g-guardian."

"Yeah, she gets people to come and watch us," Dan said.

"Oh, like a nanny?" Natalie asked.

"Au pair," Dan corrected. "Like right now, we have Sarah. She tries to make me read everything." He made a face.

"I LIKE Sarah!" Amy protested.

"Sure, because you LOVE to read."

"Hello?" Ian waved his fork in the air. "Can we focus on the real problem here?" He stabbed a pancake with his knife, took a bite with his fork, chewed, swallowed, and continued, "Your aunt is a menace. She's going to ruin our holiday."

"What holiday?" Dan asked. His face lit up. "Christmas! Is it Christmas already?" He looked at Amy, his face hopeful.

Amy rolled her eyes. "He means vacation, stupid."

"Oh." Dan's face fell, not from being called stupid by his sister, which he was used to, but from the prospect of Christmas arriving earlier than usual being diminished before his eyes.

Ian kept talking. "It's bad enough having you around, Daniel..."

"Hey!"

"...but your aunt is horrible."

"Technically, she's not our aunt," Amy said. "She's our great-aunt."

Ian paused. "So she's a Cahill?" he asked.

Amy gave him a strange look. "Yeah, that's her name. She's Grace's sister."

Ian looked like he was about to say more, then stopped.

"She's going to destroy my purses," Natalie whimpered. Everyone looked at her, having momentarily forgotten she was even there. She looked back at them, her large amber eyes filled with tears.

Ian patted her arm. "Don't worry," he said, "if she even LOOKS at one of your purses, we'll sue."

"Who's Sue? Is she friends with Roger?" Dan asked.

Amy covered her eyes and groaned.

* * *

><p>"Phase One," Dan whispered. "Operation: Get Rid of Aunt Beatrice. Now, uh..." He turned to his sister. "What do I say now?"<p>

"Commence operation," Amy whispered back.

"Right. Commence operation."

"Roger that," Ian whispered over the walkie-talkie that he had given Dan and Amy.

"For the last time, WHO IS ROGER?"

Ian didn't respond.

The two Cahills were sitting at the top of the staircase overlooking the den. They were on lookout. Below them, Aunt Beatrice was sitting on the couch, watching a soap opera on the T.V.

One floor above them, the Kabras were at work. Natalie stood out on a balcony, watching her brother climb up a trellis that was leaning against the wall. He was holding a pair of wire clippers in his teeth, and he nimbly scaled the trellis like it was a jungle gym. In a few seconds, he was on the roof.

"Careful!" Natalie squeaked as a strong gust of wind roared through, blowing her hair about. The sooner they were back inside, the sooner she could brush her hair back to look perfect again.

Ian held onto the side of the roof as the gust of wind went by, then he began crawling towards the satellite dish that was installed several meters from the edge of the roof.

When he reached the dish, he studied the several wires attached to the device. "Let's see..." he murmured, "red wire crosses blue wire..."

Though Natalie could hardly see, much less hear her brother, she knew him well enough to understand what he was doing. "Ian, for pity's sake, it's a satellite dish, not a bomb! Just cut some wires and get back down here!" She shivered as another gust of wind whipped through her hair.

Ian cut the red wire.

Two floors below, the television screen switched to static. "Oh, no!" Aunt Beatrice yelled loudly.

Above her, Amy and Dan high-fived. "Yes!" said Dan, fist-pumping the air.

Amy picked up the walkie-talkie. "It worked!" she whispered.

On the roof, Ian called down to his sister, "It worked!"

"Good. Now get down here!"

"Natalie?"

Natalie whirled around. Grace was standing at the door of the balcony. "What are you doing out here?" the older woman asked.

Natalie felt trapped. "I, um, I wanted to get, um, some fresh air. Yes. That's it. Some fresh air."

"Oh." Grace shivered as the wind gusted through. "You're not cold?"

"Not at all," Natalie lied, crossing her arms to hide the goosebumps that were popping up on her skin.

"Are you out here alone? I heard you taking to someone."

Now Natalie was stuck. She was just about to admit to having an imaginary friend (which she really did not want to do, since she never told ANYONE about Sophia), when suddenly Ian was beside her, saying, "She was talking to me."

Grace looked startled. "Oh, I didn't see you there, Ian!" She looked at the two, who were both shivering in the wind. "Why don't we get you two inside?"

The Kabras followed Grace back into the mansion. Ian looked over his shoulder at the pair of wire clippers he had quickly stashed in a small pot out on the balcony. Grace shut the door behind him, blocking the clippers from sight. Oh, well. He'd get them later.

* * *

><p>The four kids sat by the railing, looking down at the den. "I NEED to watch my soaps!" Aunt Beatrice barked, her face matching the color of her lipstick.<p>

Grace calmly addressed her older sister. "The wind probably blew the dish over. I'll call a repairman to come tomorrow."

An outraged Beatrice stalked out of the room. Grace rolled her eyes at her older sister's dramatics and left the room.

"So is she gonna leave now?" Dan whispered, lying on his stomach.

"Probably not," Ian said, standing up. "That was only phase one. But it probably won't take much more before your aunt is booking reservations at the nearest motel."

"How d-do you know so much about this?" Amy asked.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't believe how many servants we've had back home who we felt had the need to leave. Ian and I have had lots of practice."

Dan rolled onto his back, and sat up. "What's phase two?" he asked excitedly.

Ian shrugged. "No idea. It's your turn to think of something."

"Kids!" The four children jumped backwards, out of sight from the floor below.

"Y-yes, Grace?" Amy called.

Her grandmother's voice came up from below. "Lunch is in twenty minutes," she called.

"Okay!" Grace's retreating footsteps faded away at this response.

Dan had a devilish look in his eye.

"You're scaring me," Natalie said nervously. "What are you thinking?"

Dan grinned. "Phase two."

* * *

><p><strong>So that was originally going to be two separate chapters, but I felt bad about not updating before I went on vacation like I said I would, so I made it one chapter. Yay!<strong>

**Yeah, and there's a little "moment" between Amy and Ian. DON'T GET IT WRONG! IT IS NOT AN AMIAN MOMENT! XD  
><strong>

**Response to Reviews:**

** AgentCherry-Garcia212**:** That's really nice of you to ask. Of course you can! I couldn't stop you anyway, but since you asked, go ahead! I think someone else already wrote one, too. Let me know when you publish!**

** Amian 4ever: I'm sorry you felt that way. I hope you enjoy this one more. If you don't, I suggest you stop reading.**

**ThaliaGrace1: Why didn't Ian ask to borrow the book? Hello? This is _Ian Kabra _we're talking about. XD**

**TheJetsetter: Book ninja? I LOVE THAT!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**This is probably the shortest Author's Note I've ever written. Wow.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-KT**


	6. Chapter 6

_Step One: The Distraction_

"THERE'S SOMETHING MOVING IN MY CLOSET!" Natalie shrieked, running into the dining room where everyone had already been seated for lunch.

Grace and Beatrice looked up; Dan, Ian, and Amy kept their heads down.

"What, Natalie?" Grace asked. "A rat?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Natalie exclaimed, still shrieking.

Ian had told her to act as hysterical as she could, but the three other kids had forgotten how loud Natalie could be. Dan covered his ears.

Grace pushed back her chair and stood up. "Show me," she said, and Natalie grabbed her hand and promptly dragged her out of the room.

_Step Two: Planting the Idea_

"I do hope it wasn't cockroaches in Natalie's closet," Ian said airily, putting some salad onto his plate.

"Why not?" Amy asked, following the script.

Ian glanced at Aunt Beatrice, then said, "We had them at the mansion once. One of our maids quit because she found one crawling around in her hair."

"Cool!" Dan exclaimed, and Amy and Ian glared at him. That was not in the script.

"I mean, uh..." Dan corrected himself, "...that's bad."

"Yes," Amy added, "I hear that mice are also bad his time of year."

"Oh, yes." Ian nodded. "Very. And do you know what comes with mice?"

"What?" Amy asked.

"Lice."

"Ew!"

"I saw a mouse," Dan said.

"Where, Dan?" Amy asked.

"In the closet of the blue guestroom." He saw Aunt Beatrice give a noticeable start, and added, "Hey, Aunt Beatrice, aren't you in the blue guestroom?"

Beatrice sniffed. "Yes," she said, "and I haven't seen any mice."

"Well, of course not," Ian said. "They don't normally show themselves to people."

"Except Mickey Mouse," Dan added. Amy and Ian glared at him again.

"I mean, uh, right! It could be hiding."

"You m-might want to check your c-closet, Aunt Beatrice," Amy said, faking a worried look. "If there are mice, you could get lice in your clothes."

"And lice in your clothes can result to lice in your hair," Ian pointed out. "Heaven forbid they get into YOUR hair."

Amy heard him murmur under his breath, "For the lice's sake."

_Step Three: Itching Powder_

"I need to go to the bathroom," Dan announced loudly, jumping off of his chair and walking around the table. He walked behind Beatrice's chair, and, in one swift motion, pulled out a small packet, reached up to Aunt Beatrice's head, and shook the contents of the packet into her hair. Then he dropped the packet into a wastebasket and left the room.

_Step Four: Continue Planting the Idea_

Amy and Ian continued the dialogue with Aunt Beatrice.

"I had lice once," Amy said. "My head was itchy for two whole weeks."

"I've never had lice," Ian said. "Only common people get lice."

Any glared at him. Now _he_ wasn't following the script.

"But of course, I can imagine how uncomfortable it must have been," Ian added quickly.

They exchanged a look as Aunt Beatrice absentmindedly reached up a hand and began scratching her scalp.

"Something wrong, Aunt Beatrice?" Amy asked innocently.

"No..." Beatrice said. "Just...a little...itchy..." She began scratching with two hands.

"Gee," Ian said, "do you think you might have gotten lice?"

Amy covered her mouth in surprise. Actually, she was covering her mouth to keep from laughing.

_Step Five: The Cockroach_

Dan came back into the room. "I'm baaaaack!" he announced. Then, as he walked past the scratching Aunt Beatrice, he flung something up into her hair. Then he went back to his chair, climbed up, and sat down.

"What's wrong, Aunt Beatrice?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing!" she snapped. "My head's just a little itchy—AHHHHH!" Her hand suddenly touched something moving in her hair. She flung her hand out, and the cockroach went flying up into the air, landing square on the plate in front of her. She looked down at the cockroach and screamed again. The cockroach quickly scuttled off of the plate, down the table leg, and disappeared into the other room.

Beatrice jumped up from her chair, one hand still itching her scalp, the other waving around wildly in the air. She ran out of the room, still screaming. "I need to wash my hand!" the three kids heard her cry as she disappeared out of the room.

The dining room was silent. Finally, Dan snickered, "She sounds like Natalie. 'I need to wash my hand!'"

That sent the other two into gales of laughter, and when Grace and Natalie came into the dining room, they found the three kids cracking up at the table.

When they saw Grace, they immediately stopped laughing.

"Oh, um, did you find what was in Natalie's closet?" Amy asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Grace shrugged. "I couldn't find anything." She turned to Natalie. "Sweetheart, you'll just have to keep your closet closed and you'll be fine," she said.

Natalie nodded solemnly. "Okay."

Grace looked at the others. "Where did your Aunt Beatrice go?" she asked.

Dan shrugged. "She said something about washing her hand," he said, struggling to keep from bursting out laughing.

Grace stared at the three for a minute. Then she sighed, and said, "I'd better go check and see if she needs help with something," she said, and then left the room.

Natalie looked at the others. "Did it work?" she asked.

Dan gave her a thumbs up.

Natalie looked at him, confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Dan looked at her incredulously. "Thumbs up? You don't know what thumbs up means?"

Natalie shook her head slowly, wondering if Daniel was losing it.

Ian rolled his eyes. "It worked, Natalie."

"Oh, good!"

* * *

><p>Later, Amy was sitting at the top of the stairs, reading her book. She heard voices coming from the den, and listened:<p>

"...afraid I might have lice, Grace."

"Lice? Are you sure?"

"I...can't...stop ITCHING!"

"Oh, dear," Grace said. "I wouldn't want any of the children to get lice. What would Isabel say if I sent her children back home with lice?"

"Grace, I don't know how much more I can take. First your T.V. goes out, then this lice—I'm telling, you, one more thing, and I am GONE!"

"Oh, that would be wond—I mean, oh, that would be too bad."

"Humph. Yes, well, I am going to bed now." Amy looked over the railing and saw Beatrice leave the den, still scratching her head. Too late, she realized that her great-aunt was coming up the stairs, and tried to shrink into the shadows.

Unfortunately, Beatrice spotted her. "Amy!" she barked. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Aunt B-Beatrice, it's only n-nine o'clock—"

"You should be in bed!"

"Yes, Aunt Beatrice." Amy stood up and started to walk past her aunt.

Suddenly, Beatrice snatched the book from her hands. "What are you reading?" She squinted to read the title. "Moby Dick? You're too young to be reading this!"

"I-I'm in third grade—"

"Much too advanced for you," Beatrice continued as if Amy hadn't spoken. "Now go to bed!" She went down the hall, still holding Amy's book, and went into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Amy felt tears welling up in her eyes. She considered telling Grace, but she knew that Grace was no more of a match for her older sister than Amy was.

So she went to her room, changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed. She switched off the light and buried her face into her pillow.

* * *

><p>A half-hour later, the mansion was quiet.<p>

A small figure slowly opened the door and crept into the hall to Beatrice's room. The figure slipped through the doorway and tip-toed over to Beatrice's bed, then froze as Beatrice let out a loud snore. Quickly, the figure picked up the large book lying on the floor by the bed, then quickly slipped out the door again.

A minute later, Moby Dick was sitting on Amy's nightstand again, and Ian crept back to his room and crawled into bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that it's a bit short. But there it is–Dan's evil plan. Will this be enough to get Beatrice to leave? We shall see...*turns on ominous music, then trips over power cord and ruins the effect*<strong>

**Anyway.**

**In other news, here is the Response to Reviews: ((dude, that kind of rhymes))  
><strong>

**CloverThyne: "Families that fight with each other, deceive together." NICE.**

**StoneMoss: Oops! *runs to fix that* Thank you!**

**TribalGirl: O_O You don't know how honored that makes me. That would be amazing. I have to be honest, I really don't know much about the Madrigal Awards or anything, but it sounds cool, so, YES!**

**SqueakyDolphin6: Yeah, sometimes Natalie gives me a little trouble, because, you know, she's so well-bred, it's hard to imagine her ever acting like a 5-year-old. I'm trying to put a lot of emphasis on the times when she acts younger, though.**

**Weaver of Lore: Maaaayyyyybe...**

**Every Person Who Reviewed: THANK YOU! You people rock my world!**

**So my school starts tomorrow, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update. I'll try as often as I can, though. Remember, if you keep reviewing, I'll keep writing!**

**Until Chapter 7,**

**-KT**


	7. Chapter 7

**Note to Readers: At the end of the last chapter, I eliminated a part at the end because I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for the story. Since the majority of responses asked me to put it in, I did. So go back and read before starting this chapter!**

* * *

><p>Natalie peeked out her door in the morning. The hall was clear. Slowly, she eased open the door.<p>

BANG!

Natalie squeaked and shut her door again.

Through the crack, she watched Beatrice storm down the hall, her hair covered with a shower cap. She through open the door to Amy's room.

A minute later, she emerged, dragging out a yawning Amy by one arm.

"You little devil!" Beatrice was shrieking. "You'll regret that!"

Dan's door opened a crack, and he peeked out. Catching sight of Aunt Beatrice shaking Amy, he burst out, yelling, "LET HER GO!"

Natalie came out of her room, swallowing her fear of the evil clown. "Yeah!" she squeaked, trembling.

Beatrice glared at the younger boy and girl. "Go back to your rooms, you little nuisances. I don't want to have to get angry with you pipsqueaks."

"Then get angry at me." Ian emerged from his room, arms crossed. "I was the one who took the book, not Amy."

"The _book_?" Beatrice yelled. "I don't care who took the stupid book! I'm talking about this!" And with her free hand, she whipped the shower cap off of her head, revealing a mass of..._pink_ hair.

Natalie giggled.

Beatrice turned on her. "Oh, you think it's funny? You spoiled brat, I'll bet you did this!"

"Don't yell at Natalie!" Everyone looked at Amy, who was glaring angrily at Beatrice, despite the iron grip her great-aunt had on her arm.

Beatrice shook her again. "You shut up!"

"Don't tell her to shut up!" Ian said angrily, running at her. He didn't know what he was going to do, but before he could do anything, Beatrice grabbed him, too.

"You all are brats!" she yelled. "I'll bet you all schemed together to do this to me!" Her head shook, and her bright pink hair bounced about.

Amy was trembling. Ian tried to pull away, but couldn't escape Beatrice's iron grip.

Dan started at Beatrice, but Natalie grabbed his shirt before he could do anything. "She might kick you," she whispered.

Beatrice shook the two eight-year-olds again. "What do you have to say for yourselves?" she shrieked.

"BEATRICE CAHILL! PUT THE CHILDREN DOWN!" Grace's voice cut through her sister's screaming like a knife passing through butter.

Beatrice immediately let go of the kids. Amy ran to Grace, who hugged her close. Ian stayed by Beatrice, arms crossed, glaring up at the woman.

Beatrice pointed to her hair. "LOOK AT THIS, GRACE!" she wailed. "LOOK AT WHAT THESE LITTLE DEMONS DID TO MY HAIR!" She glared at the children. "What are you going to do about this atrocious act?"

"The only atrocious act I see is a full-grown woman physically abusing two children," Grace said cooly, stroking Amy's hair.

Beatrice's eyes widened in shock. "I...I don't...but they—"

"You are no longer welcome in my home, Beatrice," Grace continued. "I'll make hotel reservations for you until your pipes are fixed. Go pack your bags."

Dan looked up at his great-aunt. "You better do what she says," he said solemnly. "She can call Sue and get her mad at you."

Ian facepalmed.

"Sue?" Beatrice asked, confused.

Dan nodded. "Roger, too."

* * *

><p>The four kids and Grace stood on the front steps of the mansion, and watched Beatrice climb into a taxi and disappear down the driveway.<p>

Amy turned to Ian. "Thanks for rescuing my book," she said.

Ian shrugged. "No problem."

"And putting the pink in her hair dye?" Amy continued. "That was really clever."

Ian looked confused. "But I didn't make her hair pink. I thought Daniel did."

Dan shook his head. "I didn't do it. I thought it was Natalie."

"And I thought that _Amy_ put the pink in the hair dye!" exclaimed Natalie.

They all looked at one another. "If none of us did it," Amy started, "then who..."

Her eyes widened, and she looked up at her grandmother, who was smiling slightly. "_Grace?_"

The woman laughed, "You didn't think I was going to let you four have all the fun, did you?"

Dan hugged her around the knees. "Grace, that was TOTALLY AWESOME!"

Ian and Natalie looked vaguely impressed. Then Ian gave a start. "Hold on," he said, "you know what we were doing?"

Grace smiled and pulled from her pocket the wire clippers that Ian had left out on the roof.

"Oops," Ian said. He took the clippers and gave the others a sheepish look. "I forgot I had left those there."

Then Grace produced a small Ziploc bag from her pocket, containing the empty packet of itching powder that Dan had thrown in the trash can.

"Whoops," said Dan. He looked at the others and shrugged. "Sorry."

Grace smiled, then bent down so she was level with the children. "Pranks can be cruel," she said sternly. "They can truly hurt people if you're not careful."

Then she smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "But sometimes people deserve it."

* * *

><p><strong>I KNOW! I KNOW! IT'S MEGA SHORT! I'M SORRY! But I wanted to get at least SOMETHING published!<strong>

**I feel like SUCH A HYPOCRITE! I always said to myself that I was always going to make the time to update my chapters on a daily basis. WELL GUESS WHAT? THERE WAS A LITTLE PROBLEM WITH THAT PLAN, AND IT'S NAME IS HIGH SCHOOL! So I am so so so so so so sorry that it took this long to publish, and so so so so so so so sorry that this chapter is so short and stupid.**

**I feel like I'm gonna cry. I feel so bad right now.  
><strong>

**Response to Reviews:**

**Dude, I just realized, I just got, like, five reviews. Bummer. Anyway:**

**-Hello: Dan is a ninja. He was very careful to put only a little bit of powder on Beatrice's hair. Also, Beatrice's hair is so poofy that the powder just stuck. So Dan got lucky. NA DI'M SORRY, BUT THIS CHAPTER IS NOT LONG AT ALL!**

**To the other FOUR people who reviewed, thank you for reviewing and not giving up on me!**

**I honestly have no idea when I'll add another chapter. I'll try my hardest to work on it when I get free time. I still need to write a new chapter for Cahills Reading Fanfiction ((GAAAH! PRESSURE!)).**

**Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you try not to yell at me too much about the shortness or the patheticness of this chapter. I know. I'm sorry. It was the best I could do under the circumstances.**

**Until the next chapter ((whenever that may be)),**

**-KT  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Midterms are over, I just ate a boston cream doughnut, and to top it all off, I updated!**

* * *

><p>Dan struggled to push Natalie's bag through the front door. "What...is...in...here?" he wheezed, dropping to the floor to catch his breath.<p>

Natalie was buttoning her jacket. "Just my necessities," she said. "Ian! Button my coat!"

Ian sighed and bent down to button his little sister's coat. Amy was dragging his bags down the stairs, each bag making a thump as they hit the steps.

Ian jumped up. "Careful!" he yelped. "You'll wrinkle my shirts!"

Amy gave him a blank look. "So?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "Never mind. I'll take them." He grabbed the bags and carried them out the door.

Grace entered the front hall in time to see Ian walk out carrying his luggage. "Was Ian just carrying his own bags?" she asked in amazement.

Amy nodded. "Creepy, huh?"

Natalie looked up from her coat. "Amy?"

Amy turned. "Yes, Natalie?"

Natalie bit her lip. "Could you button my coat? Please?"

Dan's jaw dropped. "Did you just say 'please'?"

Natalie glared at him as Amy bent down to button her coat. "Do you want to make something of it, peasant?"

Dan pretended to wipe sweat from her brow. "I thought your body was invaded by aliens or something for a minute."

Natalie sniffed. "As if. Take my bags to the car."

Dan crossed him arms. "Please?"

Natalie gave him a blank look. "Please what?"

"_Please _take my bags to the car?"

Natalie put her hands on her hips. "You don't have any bags, silly!"

Dan sighed and resumed pushing Natalie's bags out the door, with Natalie trailing behind him. Amy and Grace followed behind the two.

Out in the driveway, Ian was giving the taxi driver a lecture. The poor man looked like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or actually take the eight-year-old boy seriously.

"—the blue bag must be on TOP of the black bag, and completely separated from the pink bag, oh, and don't make us late to the airport, because you won't get any tip if we're not there exactly an hour and forty-five minutes early—"

"So should I circle the block a few times if we get there an hour and fifty minutes early?" the driver interrupted, trying to make a joke.

The smile dropped off his face as Ian gave him a hard glare. "Was that meant to be witty?" he asked coldly.

The driver cleared his throat. "Er, no, sir. Not at all."

Amy sidled over to Ian, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered something in his ear.

Ian gave her a strange look. "Why on Earth would I—"

Amy crossed her arms and gave him a look.

Ian sighed and turned back to the taxi driver. "Thank you for driving us," he said through clenched teeth. "We appreciate your service to us."

The driver looked startled at this transformation in the boy's attitude. "Don't mention it, pal."

"_I'm not your pal_."

Amy stepped on Ian's foot.

"OW! I mean...yes, well, thank you anyway."

The driver scratched his head and loaded Natalie's luggage into the trunk, then went to the front of the taxi.

Grace gave Natalie a hug. "It was nice having you two visit. Have a safe trip home."

Natalie's arms were stiff at her sides, am expression of alarm on her face. When Grace released her, she stumbled backwards a step and mumbled, "Um...well...yes. Fine. Er, goodbye."

Amy could see that Natalie wasn't comfortable with hugs, so her just smiled at the girl and said, "See you soon."

Natalie gave her a tiny smile. "Bye." Then she turned to Dan. "So long, peasant."

Dan stuck her tongue out at her.

Natalie stuck her tongue back at him, then climbed into the taxi.

Meanwhile, Ian was painfully waiting for Grace's hug to end. He looked as uncomfortable as Natalie had.

When he was released he turned to Amy.

"You don't like hugs, do you?" Amy asked him.

Ian shrugged. "We don't believe in much physical contact back home. Unless, of course, we're being punished."

Amy's eyes widened. "You...you never get _hugged?_"

Ian raised an eyebrow and shook him head. "No. I don't really mind—"

Amy threw her arms around him and hugged him. Ian stood awkwardly, his arms stiff at his sides.

"Yes, er, I never really said I _liked_ hugs..." Ian trailed off, sighed, and waited for Amy to release him.

When she finally did, he slowly backed away, afraid that she'd hug him again. "Well, goodbye." He turned and dove into the backseat, closing the door behind him.

The taxi immediately skidded down the driveway. Apparently, the driver was afraid of the Kabras' wrath if they were even a little late to the airport.

Grace picked up Dan and put her other arm around Amy's shoulder as they watched the taxi disappear down the driveway. "You two really knocked some manners into the Kabras, didn't you?" she said.

Amy and Dan exchanged a look and both shrugged.

"Maybe," Amy said. "I guess they finally realized that there are some people out there who wouldn't be afraid of them."

"Like Beatrice the Bloody," Dan piped up.

"And sometimes it's nice to be...nice." Amy scrunched up her eyebrows and looked up at her grandmother. "Does that make sense?"

Grace squeezed her granddaughter's shoulders. "It's wonderful, dear. Now let's get inside; it's chilly out here."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Grace had Amy and Dan set up with hot chocolate and cookies in the kitchen. She went into the sitting room, and sat down on the couch. She picked up the phone and dialed the number she had memorized years ago.<p>

Fiske picked up after two rings. "Hey, sis."

"Where are you?"

"You know I can't tell you that," Fiske teased. "You might come and crash the party I'm throwing tonight."

"I might actually believe that if I didn't know that you hate parties."

Fiske chuckled. "You got me. Are the Kabra kids still there?"

"They just left," Grace replied. "I think Isabel and Vikram are in for a big surprise."

"Why? Did you teach them a few manners?"

"Not me. Amy and Dan."

"Amy and Dan taught the Kabras manners?"

Grace laughed. "I know it sounds impossible, but it's true." She told her brother about the transformation of the Kabras.

Fiske gave a low whistle. "How long do you think it'll last?"

Grace paused, thinking. "I'd give them a day before they go back to normal."

"I'd give them until tomorrow morning."

* * *

><p>"Mummy!" Natalie jumped out of the car and ran to her mother.<p>

"Natalie!" Isabel Kabra snapped. "What have I told you about running? You'll scuff your shoes!"

Natalie stopped short and walked the rest of the way. She threw her arms around her mother's legs. "I missed you!" she said.

Isabel looked down at her daughter, one eyebrow raised. "Natalie, are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, mummy. Why?"

Meanwhile, Ian was unloading their luggage from the back of the car. With the help of their butler who had come out to take the luggage, he grabbed his suitcases and started towards the doors of the Kabra mansion.

"Ian!" The boy turned around.

"Yes, mum?"

Isabel tried to walk towards her son before she realized that Natalie was still clutching to her legs. "Natalie, for goodness sakes, let go of my legs before you wrinkle my skirt," she ordered.

Once Natalie released her mother, Isabel turned back to Ian, who was still carrying his suitcases up the drive. "Ian, why on Earth are you carrying your own luggage?"

Ian shrugged. "I thought—"

Isabel snorted. "Well, that's new."

Ian swallowed, then tried again. "I thought...I thought it would be nice to help Harold out a bit. I mean, he does so much for us already—"

"And gets paid nicely for it, I can assure you," Isabel interrupted. "You make it sound like I drive my servants like slaves." She moved closer to her son. "Is that what you're saying, Ian? That I'm a _slave driver?_"

Ian's eyes widened. "No! Of course not! I just thought it would be nice—"

"Nice?" Isabel laughed out loud. "Since when have you begun caring about being nice?"

Ian paused. Then he sighed. "Harold!" he snapped at the butler. "Take my bags to my room. Now!"

Isabel smiled. "That's better," she said as Harold struggled to carry both siblings' luggage into the mansion.

"Mummy?" Natalie was tugging at her skirt. She was holding her stuffed rabbit in one hand. "Mr. Rabbit got a little rip on his arm on the plane. Could you please—"

Isabel snatched the rabbit from Natalie's hand. "You still have that toy? Natalie, you're much too old for a stuffed animal." She pulled a shiny new credit card out of her pocket and handed it to Natalie. "Here. This is your new friend, not..." She gave the rabbit a disgusted look as she held it with two fingers by one ear, "...Mr. Rabbit."

Natalie held the credit card in both hands and squinted at it. "This isn't very cuddly," she said softly.

Isabel ignored her, tossing Mr. Rabbit into a nearby trashcan. "Come, you two. I want you both to take baths before supper. Those airplanes are absolutely contaminated with peasant germs..."

Natalie's lower lip trembled, but she obligingly followed her mother into the mansion, with Ian right behind her.

* * *

><p>That night, Natalie couldn't fall asleep. She had forgotten how scary the mansion was at night. The ceiling and floors creaked ominously. The trees outside her window blew in the wind.<p>

And there was _definitely _something under her bed.

She jumped out of bed and ran out the door, dashing down the hall. She didn't have Mr. Rabbit to protect her. The monsters could eat her, leaving no trace, and in the morning her family would find her missing and call the police, but it would be too late...

Natalie peeked into her parents' bedroom. "Mummy?"

Isabel groaned from under the covers. Vikram was working late again, or else she would make him tend to her child's needs. "What is it, Natalie?"

"I had a bad dream."

There was silence.

"Mummy?"

"I'm waiting for you to get to the point."

"The point?"

"The reason why you woke me up at—" Isabel lifted her head to look at the clock on the nightstand, —at 2:47 in the morning, because I know it wasn't just to inform me that you had a little nightmare."

Natalie shook her head. "No, there's also a monster under my bed!"

There was another silence.

"Mummy?"

"Natalie, I do hope you're playing a joke on me."

Natalie was confused. "A...a joke?"

"_Go to bed, Natalie._"

Natalie whimpered at her mother's tone and fled from the room. She ran down the hallway, but her feet got tangled in her long nightgown and she tripped, falling to the floor. She resisted the urge to burst into tears, for she knew that mummy wouldn't be very happy about if she did.

"Natalie?" Ian emerged from his room, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Natalie sniffed. "I...I had a bad dream."

Ian sighed. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Natalie's eyes widened. "Really?"

Ian helped her up. "Come on." The two siblings went into Ian's room. Natalie climbed into Ian's king-sized bed, and Ian went over to the other side of his room.

"I forgot to give this to you earlier," he said, getting something from his desk. "I fetched it after supper." He went back and shoved Mr. Rabbit into Natalie's arms.

"MR. RABBIT!"

"Shh! Don't wake Mum!"

Natalie cuddled the rabbit, then recoiled from the stuffed animal. "Did you wash him? He WAS in the rubbish, you know."

Ian sighed. "Yes, I washed it."

Natalie smiled and hugged the rabbit to her chest again. "Ian?" she said sleepily, laying her head onto the pillow.

Ian climbed onto the other side of the bed. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, do as you wish,<strong> **but can we not have a bunch of reviews on how OOC the Kabras seem? A, this is six years ago. B, they're kind of both at the point in there lives when they're deciding what kind of person they're going to be. They're "emotionally** **unbalanced," you could say. Don't worry, you'll be getting more Cobra nastiness next chapter ((which I started writing today when I finished my French midterms XD))  
><strong>

**Response to** **Reviews:**

**-I would login but I'm to lazy****: Nice name, by the way. And...my Max story?**

**-VolcanicLily: Okay, I finally updated. Now it's your turn. TUTORING A HOLT, PLEASE!**

**-: I AM NOT IN DENIAL! IT'S NOT AMIAN! XD**

**-ForeverBookworm13: Of COURSE I know that I rock! XD Just kidding. But thanks!**

**-luverinreadin: Thanks for the reminder. Here ya go!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, including everyone who insisted that last chapter was not as pathetic as I called it. Thanks, guys.**

**Alriiiight, I think that's it. Please review! As I've been saying for my other stories, I get a bunch of people who favorite or alert this story, and they don't review! I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. I WILL FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE AND GO TO YOUR HOUSE AND EAT ALL OF YOUR COOKIES.**

**So please, even a one-liner review is appreciated. Even simply posting a quote you liked–all you gotta do is copy and paste. DO IT IF YOU CHERISH YOUR COOKIES.**

**Hope everyone did well on midterms. Those of you who didn't have any...meh. Enjoy it while you can.**

**Peace out, homies!**

**-KT  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I haven't done a disclaimer for awhile. So:**

**Ahem. Against several rumors that have been flying around fanfiction lately, I do not, under any circumstances, own The 39 Clues.**

**Random Audience: NO! SAY IT ISN'T SO!**

**It is true. I'm sorry.**

**On that happy note, let's begin the story!**

* * *

><p>Eight months later was the annual Cahill reunion at Grace's mansion. Dan and Amy had stayed over the night before, and Dan was now looking for his sister as people began to arrive.<p>

"Amy!" he called. "Amyyyyyy!"

He ran down the hallway, dodging women's handbags and ducking under coats hanging from men's arms.

"'Scuse me, 'scuse me, sorry, coming through..."

He ran around a corner and grabbed onto one of the large gold handles of the heavy oak doors of Grace's library, pulling with all of his five-year-old strength.

After a few minutes of straining and grunting, he finally managed to pull the door open wide enough for him to slip through.

"Amyyyy!" Dan stepped into the library. His nose began to itch, and he sneezed.

Libraries always made him sneeze.

From somewhere farther into the vast library, he heard his sister call out a reply. Dan made his way through the towering shelves of books, rubbing his nose against his sleeve.

He found Amy curled up in an armchair, a book in her lap. Saladin was curled up next to her, eyes shut, purring as Amy absently stroked him with one hand.

Dan scrambled up onto the arm of the chair. "Amy, the party started."

"I know."

"You should come out."

"No, thanks."

"It'll be fun."

"No, thanks, Danny."

"Please?"

Amy sighed and shut her book. "I d-don't want to go out there, Dan. All th-those people..."

Dan jumped off the chair. "Don't make me go out there alone!" he begged. "All the people always pinch my cheeks and call me a doorbell!"

Amy made a face. "A _doorbell?_"

"Yeah, they say, 'Oh, look at you! Aren't you the most a doorbell thing?' Then they pinch my cheeks."

Amy laughed. "Oh. _Adorable_."

"That's what I said. A doorbell." Dan put on a pleading face. "Please, Amy? Pretty please with whipped cream and cherries and sprinkles and nuts and gummi bears and marshmallows and—"

"Dan..."

"Yeah?" Dan asked, relieved that she interrupted. He was running out of topping ideas.

Amy looked at him, then sighed. "Okay," she said. "But only because I'm hungry. I'm going to make a sandwich and then I'm coming right back here."

Dan was satisfied with this. He grabbed his sister's book and said, "Let's go!" He started running to the doors of the library.

Amy jumped out of the chair, making Saladin hiss with surprise and run for cover.

"Be careful with that!" she yelped, chasing after her brother. "It's an antique!"

* * *

><p>"Mummy, this lace is itchy," Natalie complained, pulling at the neck of her brand new dress.<p>

"Hush, Natalie. I'm trying to concentrate." Isabel Kabra was scanning the crowd of people in the large front hall of Grace's mansion.

"Are you looking for someone, Mummy?" Ian asked, standing on the other side of his mother. The eight-year-old was wearing a custom-made Armani suit, his jet-black hair slicked back to perfection. If he were a little taller he could pass for several years older. Already he was getting looks from a group of girls around his age who were in a group nearby, but when he looked in their direction, they all giggled and looked away.

_Females,_ he thought with exasperation, the way he heard his father talk when his mother wasn't around. _The entire gender is just ridiculous._ He quickly amended that thought as he looked up at his mother, who had ignored his question and who's amber eyes were still roaming past the faces of the people in the hall. _Except for Mum. She's different. Natalie, on the other hand..._

As if on cue, Natalie had begun whining again. "Mummy, my feet hurt. These shoes are too tight!"

Isabel looked down at her daughter. "We just bought those for you yesterday, Natalie. You haven't broken them in yet."

"Make Ian break them in for me!" Natalie demanded. "They hurt."

Ian rolled his eyes. "I can't break your shoes in for you, idiot. They won't fit me."

"Mummy! Ian called me an idiot!"

"It's not my fault! She really is an idiot!"

"Both of you, shut up," Isabel demanded. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of someone across the hall. "I'll be back. Don't wander." She quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Natalie sniffed. "It's all your fault."

"It is _not!_"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"H-hi, guys."

The two Kabras stopped bickering and turned. Amy and Dan were standing behind them, Amy holding her book and Dan holding a sandwich.

Natalie's face lit up. "Amy!" she exclaimed happily.

Ian's face brightened for a fleeting moment, then hardened. He nudged Natalie in the ribs and said, "Remember what Mum said."

Natalie's face fell. "Oh. Right." She looked up at Amy and Dan. "Hello, peasants."

Dan stuck his tongue out at her, displaying the half-eaten sandwich in his mouth. Amy, however, didn't seem aware of this sudden mood change.

"How are you?" she asked, smiling and hugging her book. Her green eyes sparkled, relieved to find some friendly faces in the crowd.

Or, what she _thought _were friendly faces.

"We're fine, thanks," Ian said, smiling a little. "How are—"

This time, it was Natalie who nudged her brother.

Ian's smiled dropped. "I mean, yes, we've been doing well." He looked Dan up and down. "I see your fashion sense hasn't improved any since we last met, Daniel."

Dan crossed his arms over his Pokémon t-shirt. "I have some of Fah's son's sense," he said.

Ian made a face. "Who?"

"Fah's son. You said I didn't have any of Fah's son's sense. I don't really know who that is, but I prob'ly have some of his sense."

Ian groaned. "Not again."

Natalie giggled. "Roger that."

Dan opened his mouth to ask, but before he could get the question out, the four kids heard Ian and Natalie being called.

"That's Mum," Natalie said. "Be right back." She pulled Ian through the crowd.

The two siblings found their mother engaged in a deep conversation with Alistair Oh, a Cahill cousin of theirs. Alistair always encouraged Ian and Natalie to call him "Uncle Alistair" whenever they met, but the two children never gave him any notice, much less called him "Uncle."

Alistair and Isabel were speaking in low voices, but you could tell by their tones of voices that they were having a heated argument.

"—a minor setback," Isabel was saying. "We couldn't have foreseen it—"

"Don't you understand?" Alistair cut her off. "They _died_. Hope and Arthur are _dead_. That was _not _a part of the plan!"

"It was _out of my control!_"

"Mummy!"

Ian reached out a hand to yank his sister back, but Natalie had already latched herself onto her mother's arm. Isabel's tone had frightened her. It had frightened Ian as well, but he wasn't about to risk physical contact with his mother for a brief moment of comfort.

Isabel stopped talking and looked down at her daughter. "Oh, there you are." She glanced at Alistair and said, "We'll talk later." Then she grabbed her children's arms and pulled them to the other side of the hall.

Looking down at Ian and Natalie, Isabel said, "I saw you two talking—_for heaven's sakes, Natalie, let go of my arm!_—to those Cahill children."

"Amy and Dan?" Ian asked, wondering why his mother sounded so disgusted.

"Yes, Mummy," Natalie said. "They're our friends."

Isabel's eyes narrowed. She crouched down so she was nose-to-nose with her daughter. Natalie felt like her mother's perfume was choking her, but she knew better than to complain.

"Your only _friends_," Isabel said to the two of them, "are each other, and your father and I. Everyone else are no more than servants to you."  
>Ian opened his mouth.<p>

"Yes, Ian. _Especially _Amy and Dan Cahill."

* * *

><p>"I don't think they're coming back."<p>

"Just wait another minute."

"I thought you didn't want to be here."

"Nobody's called us doorbells yet."

"_Yet._"

Amy sighed. She really didn't like crowds—with people bumping up against her, the loud talking, and the constant movement. But Natalie had said they'd be right back, and Amy felt it would be rude to leave.

Suddenly, she caught sight of Ian trying to slip past someone behind Dan.

"Ian!" she called, assuming he had forgotten where they were.

Ian froze, and his shoulders slumped visibly. Natalie was right behind him, her face drawn and hard.

"Yes?" Ian asked, coming up to Amy and Dan. "May I help you?"

Amy looked at him questioningly. He was talking like they were strangers. "Um...I got a new book." She held it out to him. "It's Jane Austen."

Ian took the book, studying the cover. A flash of interest went through his eyes, but it was gone in a moment. He dropped the book at Amy's feet.  
>"I don't waste my time reading old, dusty books," he said haughtily.<p>

Amy quickly picked up the book, then looked at him, her upper lip trembling. Tears welling up in her eyes, she turned and dashed away.

"That wasn't nice!" Dan exclaimed, glaring at Ian.

"We don't have to be _nice _to you, peasant," Natalie sneered. "We are Kabras."

"You mean _Cobras_," Dan said coldly.

"_Kabras_."

"Cobras."

"KABRAS."

"COBRAS!"

"STOP THAT, PEASANT!"

"NATALIE COBRA! NATALIE COBRA!"

"IAN! MAKE HIM STOP!"

"NATALIE COBRA!"

Ian reached for Dan, but he ducked under his hand. "I can't believe we thought you were nice now!" he shouted. "We _liked_ you guys!" He ran away to find his sister.

Natalie looked up at her brother. "Did you hear that, Ian? He said they liked us. Someone _liked _us."

Ian's face was cold, but his eyes were sad. "Lot's of people like us, Natalie," he said. "We don't need to be friends with those peasants. Come. Let's find Mum." He took her hand and pulled them away, both Kabras thinking about the friendship they could've had.

* * *

><p><strong>Aww...poor wittle Kabras.<strong>

**Natalie: WE DON'T WANT YOUR SYMPATHY, PEASANT!**

**Okay, okay...jeez...  
><strong>

**Response to Reviews:**

**-The Girl of the Moon: A sequel? Like...five years before? XD**

**-luverinreadin: Well, you see,** **several servants _did _walk by Natalie when she was out of her room. But Natalie has achieved the fine art of servant-avoiding–especially at her height, it's not hard to be missed by a servant at two o'clock in the morning.**

**-Sadie A. Cahill: Thanks! And your brother is a** **cross of Dan AND Ian? I'm not sure whether to say, "You lucky duck," or, "May the gods bless you, poor child."**

**-Martha, Frank, and Stone Moss: Thanks, guys! XD**

**-TheDan547: Okay, YOU try keeping the Kabras under control and see how easy it is XD**

**-TribalGirl:** **Good question, why DOESN'T this story have more reviews****? Not that I'm unhappy with the reviews you guys give me...I love you all, of course.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Y'all rock!**

**Hmm...I just got the impression that this chapter was rather short...oh, phooey.**

**Anyway, please read and review! I love it when people favorite and alert this story, but please don't do it without writing even a one-line review! Thanks!**

**Until Chapter 10,**

**-KT  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Me: WAAHHHHHHH!**

**Ian: *sighs* What is it now?**

**Me: Th-this is th-the l-last chapter!**

**Ian: I feel a deja-vu moment coming on...**

**Me: WAAHHHHHHH!**

**Ian: *sighs again* Let me guess. If I say the disclaimer, it will make you feel better?**

**Me: *sniff* A bit.**

**Ian: Fine. KTRose12 does not own The 39 Clues. Better?**

**Me: NO BECAUSE EVERYBODY PROBABLY HATES ME BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE UPDATED AND IT'S SO FREAKING SHORT! WAHHHHHHH!**

**Ian: Here's a tip. Tell them to start from the beginning and read the whole story through before they read this chapter.**

**Me: ...do you think that'll make it better?**

**Ian: Worth a try.**

**Me: Okay. Everyone...if you want...before you read this chapter, start from the beginning. Read the whole thing. Enjoy the story.**

* * *

><p>Dan found Amy in the library, curled up in her armchair. She was<br>hugging Saladin, who was giving Dan a desperate look that read, _Get_  
><em>me out of here!<br>_  
>Dan climbed up onto the chair and sat next to his sister. Both were<br>small enough to fit in the large chair, even with Saladin in their laps.

"You okay?" Dan asked.

Amy sniffed. Her eyes were red. "I'm okay," she said. "I don't care  
>about that stupid Ian Kabra and what he thinks."<p>

"Yeah," Dan agreed. "Stupid Cobras."

"Dan?" Amy asked tentatively.

"What?"

"Why...why did they change?"

Dan scowled. "They didn't change. They're Kabras. They're just _mean_. We could _never_ be friends."

* * *

><p>"What's wrong?" Ian asked his sister as the two of them weaved through the crowd, searching for their mother.<p>

"Nothing," Natalie replied. "Just..."

"Just what?'

Natalie took a deep breath, then said, "Do you think we really could have been friends with Amy and Dan?"

Ian frowned. "Of course not," he said.

"Why?"

"They're peasants. They're below us. We could _never _be friends."

* * *

><p>And that's how it went on for years, at every Cahill reunion.<p>

* * *

><p>When Amy was nine and Dan was six, Ian tripped Dan as the younger boy<br>was running past, causing him to crash into Reagan and Madison Holt.

Even at six, those two could punch hard.

_"Whoops!"_

_"Ahh!"_

_"Hey!"_

_"Watch it!"_

_"Ow!"_

* * *

><p>When Amy was ten and Dan was seven, Natalie snuck into Amy's room and<br>discovered a math test that she had gotten a B on.

And showed it to the Starlings.

Who then proceeded to tease and make fun of Amy for the rest of the day.

_"Look at this."  
><em>  
><em>"Oh my god, Amy, you're such an idiot!"<br>_  
><em>"W-where did you get th-that?"<em>

_"Natalie."  
><em>  
><em>"Natalie? Why'd you do that?"<br>_  
><em>"You deserved it, peasant. You think you're so smart, don't you?"<em>

* * *

><p>When Amy was eleven and Dan was eight, Ian was home sick with the flu,<br>and Natalie stayed home with him.

Against Dan's protests and warnings, Amy sent Ian a get-well card.

A week later, Amy got a large envelope addressed to her in the mail.

Inside contained the shredded remains of her card.

_"Amy, letter for you."  
><em>  
><em>"Thanks."<br>_  
><em>"What's wrong?"<br>_  
><em>"N-nothing."<br>_  
><em>"Was that your card?"<br>_  
><em>"Yes."<br>_  
><em>"Told you he wouldn't like it."<em>

* * *

><p>When Amy was twelve and Dan was nine, Natalie fed Dan's ninja suit to<br>Arnold, the Holts' dog.

_"Here, doggie..."  
><em>  
><em>"Arf!"<br>_  
><em>"What...NATALIE!"<br>_  
><em>"Yes, peasant?"<br>_  
><em>"WHERE'S MY NINJA SUIT?"<br>_  
><em>"That dog over there stole it."<br>_  
><em>"Nooooo!"<em>

* * *

><p>When Amy was thirteen and Dan was ten, Ian and Natalie locked Dan and<br>Amy in the pantry, then jammed the doorknob so they were stuck in  
>there for hours before Grace found them.<p>

_"Hey!"_

_"L-let us out!"_

_"This isn't funny, guys!"_

_"Help!"_

* * *

><p>When Amy was fourteen and Dan was eleven, well...<p>

_"You'll decline the challenge, of course."  
><em>  
><em>"We'd hate to see you suffer a painful death, wouldn't we?"<br>_  
><em>"Wh-what have you done to him?"<br>_  
><em>"Give me Franklin's vial."<br>_  
><em>"Poor excuses for Cahills."<br>_  
><em>"Don't play dumb. Although you <em>are_ a natural—"  
><em>  
><em>"We have got to stop meeting like this."<br>_  
><em>"Sayonara, suckers!"<br>_  
><em>"I thought you were a brave explorer."<br>_  
><em>"Lovely."<br>_  
><em>"How could I think that anyone would actually feel..."<br>_  
><em>"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here after you tried to <em>kill_ us!"  
><em>  
><em>"Wh-what do you want, Ian?"<br>_  
><em>"Please! Distant poor cousins, perhaps..."<br>_  
><em>"Nighty-night."<br>_  
><em>"I couldn't let him die."<br>_  
><em>"Promise you—you won't hurt her anymore if—if I—"<br>_  
><em>"Get out of my way."<br>_  
><em>"We haven't changed enough. But—we're trying."<em>

* * *

><p>And, after six years, they finally did.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys did what I suggested. Hopefully, it made this short chapter more enjoyable. Anyway, moving on:<strong>

**I'm not going to do specific response for reviews, because you all are wonderful and I'm just going to say thank you to all of you who reviewed. Also thank you to everyone who asked for a sequel–I'm not yet sure it I'll do it, but feel free to review with any suggestions, even if it's something small.**

**I've started a new multi-chapter, and I plan on starting to post it soon. I'm not going to give anything away, but keep an eye out for it!**

**This is probably the shortest authors note I've ever written. I want to thank everyone who's kept with this story all this time, and stayed (somewhat) patient in between chapters. Thanks to you all for putting up with my mega-slow updates XP Thanks to all my reviewers. Thanks to all my alerters. Thanks to all my readers. *sniff* Aww, I'm tearing up...**

**Amy: *hands tissue***

**Me: Thanks...*blows nose***

**Hope to see you in my review box for future stories!**

**5-Year-Old Dan: Roger that! Byeeeee!**

**-KT**


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